1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which records on a recording medium by moving a plurality of heads in predetermined directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable-type recording heads have been widely used in recording apparatuses like word processors and electronic calculators having printers. For example, in many serial-type recording apparatuses for color recording, a plurality of recording heads are integrally attached to a carriage of the apparatus and arranged side by side thereon.
In such a color recording apparatus, the arrangement of the recording heads for different colors is determined beforehand, and the recording heads are operated in accordance with the order of their arrangement to selectively use them for recording.
However, when two-color printing, for example, in red and black, is to be performed, red and black recording heads, which are arranged at predetermined positions on the carriage, are selectively operated, line by line, by a CPU provided inside the recording apparatus body, in accordance with the data input from the outside.
For example, in the case of an electronic calculator having a printer, a plus data output is usually recorded in black, and a minus data output is recorded in red. However, there may also be a case where the two recording heads mounted in such a calculator are of the same color.
In this case, there is no need to select between recording colors in accordance with the input data, as either of the two heads is usable for recording. However, this leads to the following problem: in the above-described system in which the CPU controls recording, it is previously determined which of the two heads is to be used for recording according to the kind of data to be recorded. That is, each time recording is performed, the CPU determines the recording head to be used in accordance with the kind of data input from the outside, with the result that although the two heads are of the same color, they are not equally used, as the head to be used depends on the kind of data input from the outside. Thus, there is the possibility that the amount of ink used by one head will be different from that used by the other. This is undesirable from the viewpoint of efficient use of ink.